European winter with a 6-week old baby | ExpatWoman.com
 

European winter with a 6-week old baby

20
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 09:43

Hi there, our first baby is due at the end of October, my parents were hoping to come to Dubai for Christmas but my mum is sadly having some serious medical treatment which means she can't fly. We are thinking about taking our new baby to where they live in Germany for a week, he'll be between 6 - 10 weeks old at that stage. I'm a bit worried about the drastic temperature change from 25 here to around minus 5 or minus 10 in Germany. Am I just being overprotective?!
thanks so much for any advice! Also does anyone know how long a British baby passport takes to process?
Nicecuppatea :)

299
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 October 2011 - 13:45
my lo was born in -35 celsius back home and he did perfectly fine. There was a winter snowstorm the day we brought him home and the best investment i made was a footmuff for his car seat and stroller that kept him perfectlt toasty. Just layer up and enjoy the weather!
20
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 October 2011 - 12:15
Thanks again girls - feel really confident about taking him now. Just need to get his passport in time...EEK! Nicecuppatea x
139
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 14:45
temperature change from 25 here to around minus 5 or minus 10... thats what i call a normal weather change in canada... in a matter of one night!!! lol :D <em>edited by tdale on 03/10/2011</em>
1236
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 12:52
I wouldn't worry too much. Babies are tough little things. My babies were born during a UK heatwave (25 degrees plus) and survived the sudden temperature drops that are part and parcel of life in the UK just a few weeks later! Just dress accordingly. European homes are warm and cosy during winter months and millions of babies have been born in cold climates and survive. Just be careful not to overheat with too many layers. Enjoy your German Christmas which will be lovely! :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 12:31
Best investment we bought was a maxi cosi footmuff for the car seat (fits most) My DD hated the pramsuit/jacket/hat/gloves etc and would go red faced and start crying immediately as she was too hot! (minus 16) So we just put her in her regular warm clothes and zipped her into her footmuff for the car and we had another footmuff for the pram but could use for both. Buy a small dressing gown as well as handy forcoming out the bath in cooler climes,also we used a 2.5 tog sleeping bag with a vest and a baby grow for sleeping. Have lots of winter fun!
20
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 11:28
Thanks so much for all the advice girls - absolutely brilliant!! Feel so much happier about taking him now. Am going to try and get some of those pink tights with frilly bottom too - hahaha my husband would not be happy! xx
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 10:55
Oh, and you can also put boys in tights. Just don't tell their friends :D (or put photos on Facebook!). Until their best mates asks for crunchy pics for their stag do! Don't worry... I have a whole stash! lol
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 10:48
Oh, and you can also put boys in tights. Just don't tell their friends :D (or put photos on Facebook!).
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 10:42
Dont worry :-) Took DD home in Jan, she was 5 weeks. I had my mum buy her a big, fluffy pramsuit (with little ears like a bear!) It just zipped up right over her regular clothes and she was snug as a bug. Honestly, i would unzip it to take her out and she was so toasty warm i wanted to climb right in with her! Our has feel/mittens inbuilt (like a duvet turned into a sleepsuit really!) but i put a hat on her as the hood was a little big and her head was exposed. She was fine.
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 10:17
aww, bless you hot-house flowers! It's not like you're going to be lounging by the pool in winter over there. Layer up (hat and gloves especially) and take most of it off as soon as you get indoors. You'll be wanting a vest (longsleeved), trousers (or skirt and tights), jumper or cardigan, socks and some warm bootees, along with a hat, mitts, snowsuit (although a cardigan and wind-proof jacket will to just as well) and thick blanket and/or footmuff. If you're planning on just taking a sling, make sure that legs, feet and hands are covered - it's not the cold, but the wind/rain that's bad. I've been out in -12 before in a t-shirt and jumper when it was bright blue sky and no wind. It's actually far easier to manage your baby's temperature when the environment is cold that when it's too hot... and it's better for a baby to be slightly cool than too hot. Bear in mind, also, that room temperatures are likely to be around 18-20 degrees - which is fine and will feel warm. Adapt what your baby wears in bed to this - in the UK, I would dress them for bed in a onesie (hands bare) and a 2.5tog sleeping bag... and that's it, although some people would also put a vest on underneath. Judge your baby's sleeping temperature by their bodies, not their hands or feet. Don't let him sleep in a hat, nor pile up blankets over him.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 09:56
I really wouldn't be worried about that. I took my three month-old to the deep depths of the northeastern USA in the winter time and she was fine. Just don't keep him outside too long and make sure he is wearing really warm clothes.
2937
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 October 2011 - 09:53
Wrap up warm :D. I had the same concerns taking DS home to the UK over Christmas last year. He was a bit bigger but I was convinced he'd get hypothermia. It's a lot more work taking care of a baby in a cold country (from my experience) but he coped just fine. Do you have anyone living there with a baby you could ask? I think I called my sister every day for a week while I was packing and every day I was there to ask what to dress him in. Re the passport, I tried to find this out recently as my Dad has been very ill in the UK and I was concerned about coming back here after the summer, as I'm due in about six weeks and was worried we wouldn't be able to leave again as we'd be stuck waiting for the new baby's passport. A British friend told me she managed to get an emergency travel document valid for a year that enabled her to leave the country with her baby when her dad was ill.
 
 

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